After years of blissfully eating Big Macs, cooking cheap, greasy foods and drinking fizzy drinks there is now an ever increasing focus on living an healthier lifestyle. However, that’s easier said than done. The whole project of getting healthy covers a lot of areas, ranging from having the right foods in your fridge, getting into the routine of exercise and just ultimately finding the motivation to stick with it all. But, where do you even start? Well firstly, you shouldn’t jump in at the deep end as you will end up drowning. I really believe that small steps done regularly and consistently is much more effective than the rush of enthusiasm followed by the comedown that usually results from trying to make big changes immediately. With that in mind, I present five of the simplest things you can do which will have you taking those first small steps to an healthier lifestyle.
- Go to the gym once a week
Once. A. Week. That is all I’m asking. I’m not asking you to go twice or even three times a week, just find time to go once. If you can’t manage that then there are bigger problems in your life. Heck, if you don’t like the gym do your own thing at home or go out for a jog, but just have that one exercise session a week. It’s an invaluable habit to get into, and once you’re over that first hurdle going several times a week will be easy. - Drink more water
Just think of all the sugar in fizzy drinks. Ditch them and start drinking water. Take a bottle with you to work, ask for a jug of water at the table when you are in restaurants. If you are worried about the taste (or lack of it) buy a filter, or get flavored water. There is really no excuse to not drink more of it because let’s face it… it’s only water! - Eat healthy snacks
Don’t get wound up at the idea of replacing entire meals with healthy options. It will invariably involve getting in different ingredients, learning new recipes and even eating food you don’t like as much. All that can come later. Instead start with snacks. They are easy to replace and won’t impact your diet so dramatically that you have a tough time adjusting. Instead of having a bag of crisps when you are feeling peckish have a piece of fruit, instead of a chocolate bar have an oat bar. - Choose light options
In my supermarket the other week I noticed that Flora (the margerine) now has light, extra light, no salt and several other obscure versions. Most products nowadays have a similar choice, so make sure you choose them. The difference may be negligible with just one product but just think how many foods you eat on a day-to-day basis that have light versions. And all you have to do is pick the right product off the shelf! - Have breakfast
Breakfast has long been viewed to be the most important meal of the day, but that’s not the only motivation to have it. Breakfast is the easiest meal to make because it usually involves simple ingredients, so just like with snacks you can choose healthy options (instead of a sugary cereal have a high fibre one). What’s more, breakfast really sets the tone for the day. If you off in the morning eating healthy you’re more likely to stick with it during the rest of the day.
September 15, 2008 at 04:57PM
Fantastic tips! I find the goal of eating five servings of fruits and veggies a day helps, too. That way when I need a snack I reach for an apple or baby carrots instead of crackers.
September 15, 2008 at 06:58PM
Yeah, I find that from having fruit for breakfast and as replacement for snacks I usually end up getting my five-a-day naturally.
September 16, 2008 at 01:21AM
Great tips. I think your comments of no longer eating fast food is the best tip but its not one of your five. That can counter any good habits so eliminating that bad habit is a huge health boost.
September 16, 2008 at 02:56AM
You have made the tips sound so easy it would be a shame to not even attempt to try them out. Of the 5 tips, I only need to go to the gym once a week. I should probably try jogging in my neighborhood.
September 16, 2008 at 07:44AM
Agreed, though I think just cutting out fast food is a tough thing to do immediately. There is a time and place for it but we have to get the right balance. I think by starting with these five habits it will provide a strong foundation for eventually getting that balance.
October 7, 2008 at 03:34AM
Good tips but I think the most important one is the least stressed. Exercise. A healthy, and I believe very easy, routine is twenty minutes of intense cardiovascular activity every other day… not hard to fit into most schedules, and you’ll feel the benefits immediately.
October 7, 2008 at 02:39PM
I would be cautious about margarines.
October 7, 2008 at 03:35PM
Thanks for pointing that out about Flora. I’m not recommending margarines specifically, rather that you should choose light versions of anything you eat. However, I do take your point. Maybe I can use another food type as an example.
October 11, 2008 at 05:21AM
Brief and to the point, my kind of article. I’m not a big fan of breakfasts though. The warrior diet is conceptually a great idea.
February 16, 2009 at 09:44PM
Good article. If I went to the gym once a week I’d be a 300lb fatass, but maybe if a 300lb fatass went to the gym once a week they’d lose a couple of pounds?
February 17, 2009 at 02:46PM
Possibly. The purpose of the article is more about taking those first steps to an healthy habit. If you already go to the gym regularly, great, you don’t need this article. However if you’ve never consistently managed to do exercise, just focus on going once a week for a while.
March 13, 2009 at 05:22PM
I would add these two from my own experience. Firstly, chew slowly and taste every mouthful. Secondly, listen to your body telling you when you are full, then stop eating. After trying many, many ways to lose weight, this combination has proved to be the one that yielded the best results.
March 30, 2009 at 02:45AM
This is good advive about looking for breakfast cereals with fibre. There is a perception that all cereals are healthy.
July 15, 2009 at 12:27AM
Hey there, a quick question for the author. You mention that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but what would you recommend eating for breakfast. At the moment I tend to get bored very quickly with having the same thing over and over again, and the only fruit I can stomach is banana on cereal (occasionally). Is there an optimum breakfast that will help me kick start my metabolism?
Interested to hear your thoughts and thanks for the great article.
September 2, 2009 at 04:56PM
Calisthenics is much cheaper and much easier to slowly work yourself into training your body habitually for a terrifically toned and fit body with loads of stamina.
Gyms are only good when you have instructions from professional trainers. Sadly for most people fees are far too high and the majority of the time average people attempt new or fresh exercise, they inevitably injure themselves. Usually only minor injuries, often remedied with more water intake, proper dietary requirements and more methodical breathing when training, but nevertheless…
The key is to start slow, then work to intensify. Calisthenics is the perfect form for this, as you adjust your exercises subjectively with complete control and the only downside is having to do your routine every single day (minimum of ten minutes per day). I’m not an expert and every individual’s situation has multiple unforeseen circumstances, but my experience was enough to make me confident in this type of body training practice as an addition to walking the dog, skipping, swimming and yoga.
The truth is exercise is just incredibly boring for the majority of people, considering how easy it is to obtain entertainment in developed and developing countries, luxuries and fun that require very little effort to have, and enjoy. Unfortunately, we must spend time and energy acquiring skills and the financial means to actually partake in such activities, leaving very little motive for much, if any, strenuous, exhaustive muscle ripping and cardio lung-busting, or even general health watching.
September 5, 2009 at 03:50PM
Ohhhh, a lot of exercise haters!
Exercise can be taking a walk, playing frisbee, golfing, bowling, vacuuming or dancing. Just get up off the couch and move. It’s OK to have some fun doing it.
When I was starting out, I found it was easier to focus on a healthy dinner. I started with a big salad, a vegetable, three-to-six ounces of some sort of protein and sometimes some fruit too. That was an easier way to knock out five servings of fruits and vegetables and cut out all of the chemicals.
A good, quick breakfast would be yogurt, fruit, an English muffin with peanut butter or wheat toast with honey, a glass of juice and a cup of coffee or green tea.
Hope this helps!
May 30, 2010 at 11:20AM
I see people using plastic bags in the grocery store every weekend. It makes me angry sometimes. When will our local government ban these ugly plastic bags? Sometimes, I wanted to tell the people in line to just bring their own plastic bags or get a few of durable green supply bags. These bags last me a long time. I even don’t remember the last time I paid for the bags. Do yourself a favor, buy a few of these reusable bags and put them in your car. Even better, give it to the nice person in front of the line when you see he/she is asking for plastic bags.
May 30, 2010 at 04:24PM
I have a dog. I can have 20 or more geese in my yard at a time. I pick up a lot of poop. Not only do I recycle my own bags, but I take bags of my neighbors and friends hands just to keep up.
Now, I agree for the most part – most people could use the ‘green’ bags. And I think we are headed to where the plastic bags will not be available.
I don’t know what I’ll do then!